Ford was undoubtedly the king of the automotive castle in the United States in the 1950s, even if the Bel Air was already a superstar in that decade.
The Bel Air, despite the abundance of famous people who drove and owned it, just couldn’t revive interest in Chevrolet. Again, the Bel Air is to blame for everything that led to the creation of the Impala.
Impala debuted as a Bel Air version in 1958, eventually gaining series status a year later. It was the moment when the Bel Air also became a second-class citizen of Chevy’s lineup.
Before the Impala, the Bel Air was the icing of the Chevrolet cake. And this 1957 convertible struggles to remind everybody about it despite a rough shape caused by a long tenure in storage.
Since the vehicle’s last registration was in 1973, it is safe to conclude that it hasn’t been driven for about 50 years. That’s a lot, so the convertible has the usual metal issues, like rust on occasion. It stands out from the other Bel Airs now looking for a new owner because it’s not yet a rust bucket. It’s uncommon to find a 1957 Bel Air convertible that hasn’t been restored and just has minor rust issues, so I don’t think this convertible will be available for long.
Another major selling point is how original the car remains after 66 years. The owner says the vehicle has already received some changes, including the shifter moved from the column to the floor and dual exhausts, but all of them were performed by the original owner at some point during the ’60s. The car was recently purchased from the 78-year-old man who had owned it for decades.
Although it’s not apparent if it’s also the original engine, the engine under the hood is most likely the correct 283 that was shipped with the vehicle when it left the factory. Nobody is sure if it will start, despite eBay seller roket425’s claim that it is free. As the vendor claims, “I have not tried to start it yet,” you will need to conduct your own life assessment to ascertain whether it will start.
It’s not hard to determine that this Bel Air requires a full restoration, so it comes with problems that aren’t at all surprising for a vehicle so old. However, it comes with so many original parts that it’s hard to find a similar restoration candidate elsewhere – for example, you still get the factory space, jack, and wheel covers.